QTnurnr~tu ml1rningtrul !lnutIJly Continuing LEHRE UND WEHRE MAGAZIN FUER Ev.-LuTH. HOMILETIK THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLY-THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY Vol. VII December, 1936 No. 12 CONTENTS Page The Tr~ing of Ministers. J. H. C. Fritz. . . . . . • . . . . • • • • • •• 881 Einige roemische Gesetze im ersten Drittel des vierten Jahr- huriderts. R. W. Heintze ....•.•.••.......•...........• 885 The Study of the Apocrypha by the Preacher. H. H. Kunmick 899 Are We Using Our Septuagint 1 P. E. Kretzmann. • . . . . . . . .. 906 Der Schriftgrund fuer die Lehre von der satisfactio vicana. P. E. Kretzmann . • . . . . • . .. 912 Outlines on the Eisenach Epistle Selections. . . . . . . . . . . .. 916 :Miscellanea ........................................ 928 Theological Observer. - Kirchlich-Zeitgeschichtliches . . . .. 933 Book Review. - Literatur .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 951 Ein Predlger mus. nicht allein weiden. also dasa er die Scbale unterwel8e, wie aie recbte Obrlsten soil en seln, sondem auch daneben den Woe1len wehren. dass ole die Schafe nlcht angreUen und mit ialacher Lebre verfuehren und Irrtum ein· fuehren. - Luther. Eo ist kein Ding, das die Leute mehr bei der Kircbe bebaelt denn die gnte Predlgt. - Apologie. A rI. lj. If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? 1 Cor. LJ. 8. Published for the Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States CONCORDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE, St. Louis, Mo. -l ~ ARCHIV Theological Observer. - .RircI)licI)~.8eitgefcI)icI)tlicI)ei. 933 Theological Observer. - st:itdjlidj~.8eitgefdjidjtlidje~. I. ,l.mtrika. The Inspiration of the Scriptures Once More. - The Lutheran publishes in three instalments an address delivered by Dr. E. E. Flack at the opening services of Hamma Divinity School on "The Interpretation of the Word of God." There are several paragraphs which we should like to quote and comment on. "Ignorance of the Scriptures even among Christian people is appalling. The misunderstanding of their significance has led to confusion, indiffer- ence, and even to despair on the' part of many. On the one hand, there are those who so circumscribe the Scriptures by dogmatic theories of in- spiration that they fail to find a response in the otherwise open minds of earnest seekers after truth, especially among the youth. And on the other hand, there are those who so secularize the Scriptures in their thinking that they no longer constitute for them the singular seat of authority in religion, their bases being reason, experience, self-realization, and the assured results of scientific investigation." One wonders what is meant here by "dogmatic theories of inspiration." Further on in the address the speaker says: "One can never adequately describe dogmatically just how God has imparted eternal truth nor how men's minds have received, retained, and recorded it. Neither the Scrip- tures nor the Confessions of the Church set forth a dogma of inspiration. Both repeatedly bear testimony to the fact, but the method they quite properly leave in the realm of mystery. No process of rationalization can produce a satisfactory definition. It is not a truth to be taught by a theory, but a fact to be apprehended by faith - faith in the Triune God, the Father who reveals, the Son who effects, and the Spirit who applies, redemption; in the Scriptures as the faithful revelation; and in the witness of the Church as the response to redemption." We fully agree with the author that inspiration is a mystery and cannot be described by us. If he, in speaking of dogmatic theories of inspiration, has in mind some man-made description of the process, we join him in calling such theorizing unjustified. Later the author quotes with approval the doctrinal statement of the U. L. C. which refers to the Scriptures: "We receive and hold the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and as the only infallible rule and standard of faith and practise, according to which all doctrines and teachers are to be judged." Continuing, he says: "But a confessional statement, simple though it may be, constantly calls for explanation and interpretation. Since misunderstandings have arisen, the Church at the present time feels the need of examining and explaining anew her historic faith. In so doing, she begins with the Scriptures as the Word of God. Generally speaking, this is sufficient as a doctrinal declaration. This faith finds incontrovertible verification in the experience of Christian people of all ages, classes, and races the world over. It is not the universal Christian experience, however, that makes 934 'rheological Observer. - ~ird)lid)'8eitgefd)id)tlid)e~. the Bible the Word of God, but its own inherent quality as the God- given record of His redeeming grace, culminating in Christ, which finds recognition in the hearts of believers. Revelation is froni faith to faith. But the Word of God is greater than the Book. In one sense it is identical with the Scriptures; in another, distinguishable from them. In certain passages in the writings of Luther we note the phrase 'the Word of God and the Scriptures' (cf. Holman Ed., I, 339), which in- dicates that he had a distinction in mind. Moreover, the Lutheran reformers spoke more particularly of the Scriptures than of the Bible, thereby avoiding Biblicism, or the reverencing of the Book as a thing in itself, which, in spite of the Christocentric faith of Luther, has developed, largely through the initial emphasis of Reformed theology, and has created no little confusion in the Church. Primarily and fundamentally the Word of God is the Gospel of Christ, the supreme personal revelation of God, who is set forth in the Scriptures. . .. The Scriptures are secondary, the means of grace through which the Spirit presents Christ to us. . . . It is Christ, the living Word, who gives to Scripture its authority ... _ Lutheran theology recognizes the primacy of the incarnation in Christian faith. We begin and end with Christ, the Alpha and the Omega of God's revelation. Of the two fundamental principles of the Protestant Reforma- tion as later designated, the formal, or the authority of the Scriptures, and the material, or justification by faith, Lutheranism has emphasized the latter; Calvinism, the former. It was Luther's experience of justification by faith in Christ that constituted the starting-point of the Church of the Reformation. Calvinism was eccentric: it found its starting-point apart from Christ, in the divine decrees, and set forth a theory of inspiration that led to a peculiar Biblicism. With no less love for the Scriptures, the early Lutherans clung to their Christocentric faith and searched the Scrip- tures to find the Christ, in whom we have the ultimate authority .... Under the pressure of circumstances later dogmaticians set up the Bible in an external way in contrast with the outward Papacy, on the one hand, and with the position of the Enthusiasts, who sought authority in an inner light apart from Scripture, on the other, and thus permitted con- fusing conceptions to gain headway in the Church. We are under obliga- tions to seek out anew the soul of Lutheranism in the experience of the Reformer and in the Confessions of the Church. Modern Lutheran research has done much toward the rediscovery of the faith that flowered in the Reformation. That faith unquestionably proceeds from Christ, who is the primary and central fact in revelation and redemption, and evaluates the Scriptures in relation to this eternal center of faith, subordinating the formal principle to the material. This is the genesis and the genius of Lutheranism. Herein lies her ecumenical character; for she recognizes the universal validity of Luther's experience of justification by faith in Christ, the Word of God Incarnate, not apart from, but preeminent in, the Holy Scriptures." On the whole we can say that we are in agreement with the author. Here and there his phraseology is somewhat ambiguous or at least not so clear as one should like it to be; besides, while he correctly points to the aberrations of the Reformed in their attitude toward the Bible, he should not have failed to emphasize that the ScriptUl'es constituted the weapon with which Luther fought and conquered. Theological Observer. - Ritc9Iic9~aeitgtfc9ic9t1ic9d. 935 Expressions which aroused our positive dissent we found in the last section of the address: "When we speak of the authority of the Scriptures, we do not mean that they are independently authoritative. They have no authority either apart from Christ, who is the primary authority, or apart from the Church, in which Christ's power is operative. 'Ye are My witnesses,' says our Lord. 'The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit,' affirms Paul. Without the true Church, "the pillar and ground of the truth,' which responds to the witness of the Spirit and thereby allows the magnetic circuit of saving grace to find fruition, the Bible would be only a book. . .. It is in the Church alone that the Word and Sacraments are operative." Here we are bewildered. If the author means that it is the Church's duty to proclaim the Gospel and to bring it to those who are without it, we of course agree with him; but if he should mean to say (we hardly can believe that this is in his mind) that the Bible, when sold by an unbelieving bookseller and bought by an unbeliever, has ceased to be the power of God unto salvation and to have authority, we strongly disagree. Similarly we cannot understand the author when he says in one of his closing paragraphs: "The standard by which all dogmas and teachers are to be judged is not the Scriptures standing utterly alone, but the Word of God attested and authenticated in the Spirit-filled life of the early Church and projected through the centuries from faith to faith in the corporate mind of the true Church." Is it possible that the author here, like the Gnostics, holds that Christ had some teaching, esoteric teaching they called it, which was not put into the Scriptures? Does he hold that, after all, the Roman Catholic Church is right when it says: "Not the Scriptures alone, but the Scriptures and tradition"? The fol- lowing sentence of the author seems to indicate that what he means to say is not anything of this sort: "The attestation, therefore, is three- fold: it is the witness of the Church, supported by apostolic testimony and certified in the Scriptures." It seems, then, that after all, according to the author's view, the witness of the Church does not have any authority for us unless it is certified in the Scriptures, which simply means, in spite of the many words used, that the Bible is the standard by which we judge dogmas and teachers. Again we say, we are sorry that the trumpet of the author has not gi\-en a more certain sound and that here and there its notes seem to be contradictory. A. The Lutheran Free Church and Unionism. - When the Journal of the American Lutheran Oonference in its October, 1936,. issue published an article on the LuthCTan Free Church, it gave truly authentic information on this body; for not only is the Lutheran Free Church a, constituent part of the conference in whose name the journal appears, but the write!l" of the article, H. O. C'aspemn, is a. member of the, Lutheran Free Church and represents this synod on the editorial board of the journal. For these reasons we hold tha,t, if an indictment of the Lutheran Free Church is based on this article', the source of information cannot be said to be un- reliable and colmed by an unfriendly bias', Now let the reader look at the following paragraph taken from this article and see whether it does not contain evidenece tha,t the Lutheran Free Ohurch is pursuing an unscrip- tural course: - 936 Theological Observer. - Rhdjlid)=3eitgcfdjid)tndjes. "In accordance with the principles of the Luthe'ran Free Church the hand of almr- and pulpit-fellowship is always extended to sister congrega" tions of the Lutheran. faith of whatever synod without further ado. It looks upon discussion a,bout fine points of doctrine, aJllong Lutherans as futile and unnecessary and leading nowhere' except to suspicion and divi- sion and consequent confus,ion regarding the salient and fundamental points of doctrine among Lutheran Christians. It is not unionistic in the loose sense of that term; but it does believe that Lutherans of aU synods may mee,t and pray together without first having to sign a contract or docu- ment of doctrinal adjustment. It does not forbid its ministeTS to fellow- ship with pastors and church-members of the, Reformed faith if found necessary and proper for the sake of Christian brotherliness anci the work in gene'ral; the decision as to propriety and necessity is· le.ft entirely with the individual pastor and his own conscience'." We note, 1) that the Lutheran. Fl.'ee Church considers the' name Lu- theran a, sufficient guarantee of spiritual unity and will not refuse to fellowship with synods and congregations, and their members bearing that name; 2) tha,t even with respect to' the Reformed churcheg. it erects no ba,rs. against fellOowship with them. The a.ppa,rent restriction concerning such fellowship, "if found necessary and pro'per fOol' the sake of Christian brotherliness and the wOork in gene'raI," is, meaningless as a, restriction; for is there. anybody WllO will engage in any fellowship at all without holding it to be "necessa,ry and proper for the sake Oof Ohristian brothe.r- Hness and the work in general"? In the attitude of the Lutheran Free Church the American Luthe,ran. COonference' has a, seriouf! problem to deal with, and if it is not willing to lay itself open tOo the chaJ'gc' of indifference, it cannot a,void giving this its sel'ious a.ttention. A. "What shall be Done with Our Call System?" - Under this head- ing a. young Norwegian pastor, five yea,TSI in the ministry, presentsl to the J'eaders of the Lutheran Herald (Oct. 20) a. problem which largely is also our own and deserves ca.reful study in our circles, too. And properly it sho'uld be discussed not only a,t our pastoral confe'renceR, but also in our voters,' meetings and in general church a,ssemblies. The· writm"s lines con- ta,in much emotional stress; ervidently he has been so' dee'ply Ooffended a,t the unchristian treatment of the doctrine of the· divine call by bOoth con- gregations and pastOors that the rea,der caJ1not but pity him in his mental anguish and spiri tua,l distress. But a,re not dOozens of yOoung (and old) pastors Oof our own Church in the' fame plight, and do· we not owe them brotherly considera,tion in helping them tOo adjust themselves, to the. difficult pro,b1ems which they face? Surely Oour answer must not be: "v Yell, young upsta.rt brOother, wait until you have been in the ministry twenty ye·ars longer; for then you will be able to grin and bear it the rest of your days," but we must give them a clear, helpful, Biblical reply, which does a,wa,y with disorder and restores' to order our pra.ctise' regarding the calling of minister~ and tea,chers. But let us see what the above young pastor has to say_ He writes in pa,rt: - "I left the seminary with very high ideals about the divine call. These five years have left me somewhat disillusioned after witne~sing the' dis- Theological Observer. - .Ritd)lid)~8eitgefd)id)t1id)e~. 937 respect shown the divine call by pastors and congregations. In two in- stances, places where I served temporarily while the congregation was vacant, I became, greatly surprised at the attitude, pa.stors took toward such a vacancy. Dozens O'f applications were received, and from the tone of some of these a,pplications the reader would have every reason to believe that the a,pplicant was a,pplying for a, position as a, teacher in the local high school. Some' even included pictures of their families, and there was no hesitancy in mentioning the different things they could do. It isn't only the pastor who is to bel blamed, the cQngrega.tion must also share in the resPQnsibility fOor such a situatiQn. I know of Oone case during a, bi- ennial meeting of our synod that a congregatiQn held meetings every night Qf the week, not fOol' the purpOose Oof edificatiQn, but solely to select a can- didate fo'r their church_ Ha:ve we come tOo the stage where the pastOor must parade' whatever Qra,torical ahilities he may have in order to secure a call? Gan one whQ knows he is preaching a, trial sermon feel that such a, call if! truly divine? One committee Oof a, large congregation called a pa.stor by long distance, asking him if he would come and preach a, trial sermon. The pastor, hQlding the divine call sacred, naturally refused, and consequently he was told that his name' would be stricken off the lis,t of candidates. Are trial sermons tOo be thel way in which pastors are to find new fields Qf labor? If so, where does the divine can enter in? One can perhaps excuse pastors who are despera,te in seeking new places to serve and are forced tOo resort to any method to make a, change. But is there not something radically wrong when such a state exists? Surely some adjustment can be, made' to avoid thew humilia,ting practises', which cheapen the office of the hQly ministry. We may question the methods Qf Qther church-bodies, but one is tempted to sa,y that any system is better than the Qne we a,re suffering tmder. The situation in our call system is such tha,t steps must bel taken to' bring about a change. Pastors should be given an QPportunity to change their fields of labor without selling out those things' held sacred from semina,ry days. There should not be a CQn- dition where a large percentage of our clergy desires to move and is unable to move because' of lack Qf authority of any group to make the necessary adjustments. "Furthermore, I believe tha,t congrega,tiOons should be taught tOo look uPQn their pa,stor nQt a,s a hired man, but as a servant called by God. He is worthy Qf his hire and should be assured an income tha,t will care for his immedia,te needs and provide for his dear ones. I shaH never forget the statement made by a cQnsecrated pastQr of a sister synod who looks forward to the coming winter months without a charge. He is a victim Qf staying too long in one field, suffering from the same system tha,t we hold to, and the congregation which he served has without any reason told him to leave. He left a $300-a,-month job during good times tOo enter the hQly ministry. Now, a.fter ten yea,rs of service, his congre- gation refuses to pay llim a, living wage and took the alternative Qf telling him to leave. This consecrated servant said that in all his dealings with business Qrganizations he has never been trea,ted by business as he has experienced from this supposed-to-be Christian cQngregatiQn. What an indictment upon a congrega,tion which should above aU Qthers mveal a Christian spirit! One could go on and mentiQn other incidents, but these 938 Theological Observer. - .RitdJndJ~3eitgefd)id)tltd)e!l. conditions should awaken us to the realization tha,t something is wrong, and drastic steps should be taken. "I know that there will be some reading this whIY will say, Here is one who entered the ministry because of the income. NIY just pmson can make such an accusation when common sense shows that one whO' spends seven to eight yeaxs in prepa,ration, even more' than one who is preparing for the medical profession, could go into any other profession and be a,ssured of a, better income and above all not be in a position where there is a daily sword over his head of being stranded a,t middle agel. C'onsecrated servants have sacrificed, and a,re willing to dO' so, in situations tha,t require cross-bea,ring. But God does not excuse congregations tha,t capitalize upon the zeal of such a consecrated pastor and cause him to bH a martyr whro martyrdom is due to unchristian acts. "As a young pastor who desires to cO'ntinue serving the Master and not leave thH ministry because of the precarious future which we now ha,ve under the present system, and also pleading to hoM high our ideals of the divine call, let us as pastors and congregations exert elVery effort to restore a, Christian order" not only in the caning of servants to this high office, but also make the necessary adjustments, so tha,t every pastor is in position to meet his expenses and care' for his loved ones." J.T.M. Is the Social Gospel WaningP - In writing about the so-called "Na,tional Preaching Mission," which began in Pittsburgh September Z(}, when a, group of men headed by Stanley Jones and George W. Truett and Ivan Lee Holt started a, series of meetings to be held in all the large cities of our country, Dr. John Knox of the' staff of the Ohristian Oentury says tha,t the emphasis of the' renowned prea,chers wa,s not on the social gospel. On the contrary, he slummarizes the mesHage of these so-called "missionHrsl' thus: "\iVc, must gO' back to the spiritual Gospel of our fathers. We have talked enough for a, whilel about social, econO'mic, and political ma,tters; we need now to' cultivate the roots O'f the Christian life. The authentic message O'f the preacher is, the GO'spel O'f individual redemption through the grace of God in Christ. If we can get men saved, everything else will work itseU out." Commenting on this, Dr. Knox very characteristically says: "This message, so familiar to all who bHlong to the Protestant evangelical tradition, was presented with rare sincerity, winsomeness, and effect. There' il> no dO'ubt that the hearts of hundreds warmed to' it; my own heart did. But IL,S a, presumably adequate and relevant answer to the needs of our time it left me, I must cO'nfess, utterly dissatisfied. Of coursel, one who knO'ws the men who compose this mission will not need to be told that several of them show genuine concern about some of the social relsponsibilities which the Christian Church can evade only a,t the cost of its life' and our world's life. I shan refer later to' twO' exceptional addresscs in this rega,rd. But this concern, I think it can be fairly said, lay- either at the periphery of their messages, or else their messages lay at the periphHry O'f the program. The Na,tional Prea~hing Mission considered as a whole did not speak in Pittsburgh a, strong, sure, unequivocaJ word about thH responsibilities of the Church for the character of our civilization. Although thHre was much said, and truly earnestly Theological Observer. - Ritd)lid).8eit(lefd)td)tti~~ 939 said, ahout sin and repentance, there was little, if any, a,ttempt to bring about contrition for our terrible social sins. I do not believe it is wrong to say tha,t the Prea.ching Mission is in conception, at any rate in some measure, a conscious and sound reaction against what has frequently passed as the social gospel." The two exceptions that the writer had in mind were the addresses by Bishop Freeman of 'Washington (Episcopalian) and Stanley Jones. The feature which Dr. Knox is complaining of is certa.inly not due to any lack of interest on the part of the "missioners" in the growth and develop- ment of social justice, but - so we are inclined to belie,ve and hope'- to the conviction of at leas,t some of them that, before society can be changed, the individual must be changed and that the required change in the individual is brought a,bout only through faith in Jesus Christ, the Savior. A. The Chicago Quadrilateral. - Episcopalian papers remind us that fifty years have passed since the House of Bishops of their Church issued an official declaration in which four points are mentioned as essential to the union of Christian denominations. The four points published Oc- tober 30, 1886, are:- "1. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament as the revealed Word of God. 2. The Nicene Creed as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith. 3. 'rhe two Sacraments - Baptism and the Supper of the Lord - ministered with unfailing use of Christ's words of institution and of the elements ordained by Him. 4. The historic episcopate locally adapted in the methods of its administration to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God into the unity of His Church." As we are writing this, word comes from Chicago, where the Episcopal bishops are assembled, that a revision of the Chicago Quadrilateral, which a few years after its issuance was adopted by the Lambeth Conference also, iil to be formulated. Whatever declaration will be published will have special importance, because not only the bishops of the United States are attending the Chicago meeting, but likewise those of other countries in the New World, so that the meeting has been called the "Little Lambeth of the West." It will be interesting to see, if a new pronouncement should be formulated, whether this, too, will cling to the un scriptural principle of the "historic episcopate" and make acceptance of it an essential condition of union. A. The Present Status of the Evolution Theory. -Au editorial in the Bibliotheca Sac1·a discusses this subject a,~ foUows: "The corner-stone of this unscriptural Protestantism is the theory of evolution as it has affected the whole realm of human thinking, scientific, philosophical, and religious. It ha,~ foisted upon human histo,ry an interpreta,tion of the development of the race wholly unwa;rranted by the facts. A great service to the Church is being performed by writers such as Dr. Hale and Amos of England, who reiterated the fa,ct tha,t true scientists< are' abandoning the claim of proofsi upon which the theory of evolution must continue to stand and that it is the liberal theologians, who ha,ve rewritten their theologies to conform to this discredited theory, that are unable to extricate themselves from the errors of the many implications of this false philosophy. 940 Theological Observer. - .IHtdjlidj,geitgefdjidJtIidJd. They aIe behind the times in the realm of science. Professor SchwaIze of New York Unive,rsity, member of the American, Associa,tion for the Ad· vancement of Sdence, has said in one of Mr. Olsen's broadca,l'Its: 'The evolutionary theory is held only by the unthinking, those who have not followed the latest developments in scientific research, or by those who, because of enmity in their hearts against God, delibemtely present (Pal"· ticulary to young and imma.ture minds) this evident delusion as esta.b· lished science. Real scientists ha.ve recognized the fact that evolution cannot be proved, whether or not they accept the Bible as God's revelation regaIding life and its origin. It mair seem strange tha,t men will still cling to a. theory tha.t is unprovable and really unscientific, but sinful men would rather believe in it than in an omnipotent God.''' In the same number of Bibliotheca Saer-a, in a, sample broadcast of the Mid-week Forum Hour of Station WMAO,. New York, quota.tions from a number of grea,t scientists a,re submitted which acre pertinent, aU testi· fying tha.t science canDot answer our deepest questions and that wha,t the evolution theory tried to solve by a natural explanation is still unsolved except for those who follow divine revelation. When Professor Einstein wa,s asked what science had to say about moral truth,. he recplied: "Prac. tical philosophy would mean a, philosophy of conduct, and I do not think that science can teach men to be moral. I dO' not believe that moral philosophy can ever be founded on a scientific basis. Of tha.t I am certain. The content of scientific theory itself offers no mO'ral fO'unda,tion fO'r the personal conduct of life." In his autobiO'gra,phy Mr. H. G. Wells sa.ys: "I cannot adjust myself to' secure any fruitful peace. Here I am a.t sixty-five, still seeking for peace. There is no rest for us befO're the goal." Dr. Henry Pritchett, fO'r a quacrter o,f a, century president of the Ca,rnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, made this' admission: "The man O'f science awaits some convincing proof O'f persO'nal immortality, and until such proof can be secured,. he neither believes, nor disbelieves in it. He simply puts, this question aside as one for thel present unsolved and, as far as. he can see at this moment, unsolvable by any means a,vailable to thinking men. 'Vha,t the future may reveal he does nO't a,ttempt to sa,y; what may await him after death he knows not." Prof. Robert A. Millikan, winner of the Nobel prize in physics in 1923, stated: "Concerning what ultima,tely becomes of the individual, science has added nO'thing, and it has subtracted nO'thing. Tha,t problem iSI entirely outside the field of science now." And finally, Dr. George Sadon, Associate in the History of Science in the Cacrnegie Institution O'f Washington, authO'r of An Intro· duction to the History of Science, says: "The wO'nders o,f science acre innumerable; they a,re such that the wildest dreams of the Arahian tellers seem childish in compa,rison; and yet, when it comes to' the' mysteries of life and death, which a,re man's supreme concern, wha,t dO' we know? Whence do we come, and where a.n~ we gO'ing? Is the universe created 0'1' uncreated? Is it eternal, or did it begin a,t some time? No sciC'lltist can answer these questions. He is ahout O'n the Bame level a,s a child, except tha,t he is more fully awa.re of his ignorance,. Even a,s money can buy everything except the things which really ma,tter, even so science can explain everything except the essential mysteries O'f life." A. Theological Observer. - .Rird)lid)~.aeit\lefd)id)md)e~. 941 Episcopal Church Not Moving toward Rome. - That Rome is vitally interested in regaining the ecclesiastical ground it has lost in England is a matter a.bout which there is no dispute,. Nor can it be denied that there a;re many Episcopalians in England and America who ea;rnestly desire the Anglican Ohurch to return to the bosom of "Mother Church!' Tha.t, however, the Episcopal Church is not moving toWMd Rome is the claim which is made by Bishop Stewart, as reported in O"'ristiawity To-day (September, 19036), where we read: "While making a plea for Christian unity, Bishop Stewart,. in his cha;rge to the ninety- ninth annual diocesan convention, Chicago, on February 4, declared point- edly that the Church can never submit to Rome to accomplish such lmity. Referring to the- re-ce-nt caIl for church unity issued by twenty-nine IDe-mbers oJ the Church, the- bishop te,rmed this an 'out-and-out piece of pro-RoIDan propaganda,,' adding: 'As a, result Qof this the rumor went abroad tha.t the Episcopal Church was swiftly mQoving towa;rd submission tOo the Holy See. Nothing cQould be fa.rther from the facts', The Anglican CbmmuniQon, which includes the EpiscQopal Church, is like the Orthodox Eas,tern Church both catholic and apQostolic; yet neithel' Qof these communiQons is in communiQon with the HQoly See.''' In denying the infallibility of the Pope, which, as Bishop Stewart sa.id, can never be accepted by the Ohurch, he stated: "There are, it is true, many diffe·rernces be-tween our communion and Rome-, but the root of the difference is in the enormous claims of the Bishop of Rome to be, by divine a.ppointment, the, sovereign Pontiff of the whole Church of Chris,t,. the sole fountain Qof jurisdiction, sO' that no bishop can ha.ve rightful authority except as it is given him by the Pope'. This claim, which cannot be, susta.ined by a,ppe-a,l to Scripture or to the early Church, re-fleets nOot the- mind of Christ,. but the mind Oof an ecclesiastica,l Cacsar, and it is put forth with astonishing effrontery tn-day in a, world which nOo longer recognizes the divine right of kings. By all me'ans· let us pray for the reunion of all Christians" including Qour bre-thren [siol] of the Roman communion,. and let us keep ourse,lves free fwm that ignorant pre-judice which strange-Iy confuses Catholic teaching and practise and cC'l'emonial with tha,t of the Latin Church and which flames into passion at even the suggestion nf simila.rities. But le,t us also koop it clea,r and make it clea,r that, if we a,re Ca,tholics in faith and nrder,. in sacramental lifel and sacramental worship, we- a.re alsn protestants against every claim of the ROoman hiera,rcllY to substitute a pa.rt for the whnle-, substitute the Holy Roman Church for that a.rticle of Qour belief which we- pwfess- the Holy Catholic Church, the- communion of saints., which includes Rome and Canterbury and a, grea,t deal besides." (Bic!) This expression shows both the stre-ngth and the weakness nf Anglican opposition to ROome. True Anglicans oppose Romanism chiefly because- Qof the- question of supreme autho'l'ity in the Church. Modern Anglicanism thus holds. to the original status controversiae, i. e., that between Henry VIII and the- PO'pes of his time-. The weakness in Anglican npposition to Rome lies in its failure- to' realize the importance of the doctrinal issues a.t stake a.s weH as in its inability to judge- what is Christian doctrine. If the question nf authority we·re settled between Anglicanism and Roman.- ism, the other differencffi could easily be adjusted, at lea.st so fa" a·s the majnrity O'f Anglican communicants, come into question. J. T. IVI. 942 Theological Observer. - .Rtrd)Iid)~8eitgefd)td)tnd)e~. Plans of the Universal Christian Council on Life and Work.- Next year, July 12~26, the World Conference of Non-Roman Churches will be held in Oxford, England. The chairman of the great ga.thering will be the Archbishop of Canterbury. The following subjects have been put on the program for discussion: - "1) The Church and the Community, in pa,rticula,r the relation of the Church to the common life of man as sha,ped by na,tional tradition, expressing itseH in cha,racteristic folk-ways and determined by current standa,rcls and values. "2) The Church and the State', including consideraHon of the Chris- tian view of the State, of the claims of the contemporary Sta,te, and of the Christian conception of freedom of conscience. "3,) The Church, Society, and the' Sta,te in Relation to Economic' Order, including the va,riouB, ne,w proposals for the regula,tion of man's economic life. "4) The Church, Society, and the Sta,te' in Relation to E'ducation, This will have to do with the pa.rticula,rly acute and pressing difficulties which ha,ve a,risen as, the State has increased its claims ovm' the whole of the citizen's outlook and training. "5,) The Universal Church and a, 'Vorld of Na,tions - nationalism, interna,tional relations, the Church as a suprana.tional society, Chris.tianity, and wa,r." We are told that the churchps, which will lJarticipatc will be repre- sented by three' hundred regula,rly elected delega,tes, who in their delibera- tions will be assisted by one hundred invited expert consultants and four hundred associates identified with the, various kinds, o,f church activity. As the program indicates, the social go'spel will be altogether in the foreground. A. Congregationalists Elect a Woman Superintendent of Churches. The Middle Atlantic Conference of Congregational and Christian Churches, according to the Ohn:stian Gent1M'Y, has elected Mrs. David E. Brown one of the thirty-seven superintendents of American Congregationalism, putting her in charge of the field which comprises New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. The report says: "As superintendent of ninety churches, 23,518 co=unicants, and a constituency of more than seventy thousand people, Mrs. Brown is at once chief executive for the promotion of the interests of all the national and foreign boards, the con- ference rcpresentative of the boards in matters of church-building grants, ministerial pensions, and sick-relief; director of conference programs for evangelism, social action, religious education, and young people's activities, and chief representative of the denomination in interchurch relationships of the area. Through the office of the superintendent are conducted the relationships of the conference with the General Council. She is also the consultant of churches and ministers in the settlement of pastors." Mrs. Brown, in other words, is a "pastor at large." What the Bible has to say on the position of women in the Church in 1 Cor. 14 and 1 Tim. 2 apparently no longer is of any importance to these people. A. Deceased. - The church-pa,pers re'port that the American Lutheran Church (t.o be more specific, the section of thH American Lutheran Church which formerly constituted thel Ohio Synod) recently lost two prominent Theological Observer. - Ritcf)Ud)'.3eitgefcf)td)tncf)e!. 943 men through death, Dr. L. H. Schuh, from 1901 to 19'12: president of Capital University and a,t the time of his. death pastor emeritus of St. Paul'~ ·Church, Toledo, 0., and Dr. J. G. Kroening, once upon a, time Missouri Synod professor at Springfield, Ill., and Milwaukee, Wis., and from 19{)8 to 1927 professor of Latin, Greek, and Hebre,w at Luther Seminary, :St. Paul, Minn., an institution of the Ohio Synod. Dr. Kroening reached can age of eighty-five years. A Brief Items. - The Presbyterian Church lost a prominent minister when in September Dr. Edmund B. Chaffee died as he was delivering a lecture before the Minnesota Conference of Social Work. He was pastor 'of the so-called Labor Temple in New York, a $750,000 institution. What he was particularly interested in were problems that had to do with .gocial work. - Dr. H. McAlester Griffiths has resigned as editor of the Presbyterian Guardian to become the counsel of the Presbyterian Church of America in the suit brought against it by the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. The new editors of the Presbyterian (}uardian are Dr. J. Gresham Machen and Dr. :Ned B. Stonehouse of West- minster Theological Seminary.-The Thirty-third International Eucharistic Congress is to be held in Manila Feb-ruary 3-7, 1937. It is thought that '3. million people wiII go to attend the Congress. - Prof. Adolf Deissmallll of Berlin wiII soon observe his seventieth birthday. A fund is being raised in his honor. He is best known probably through his book Licht vom Osten. His studies in New Testament Greek have had a profound influence on grammatical and lexicographical views. - Writing on the subject "Hitler and Buchman," Prof. Reinhold Niebuhr of Union Seminary, in the Ohristian Oentury of October 7, publishes a devastating article on the latter, who was quoted by the press to have said: "I thank heaven for a man like Adolf Hitler, who built a. front-line defense against the antichrist of Communism." In the concluding paragraph of the article Professor Niebuhr says: "The Oxford Group Movement, imagining itself the mediator of Christ's salvation in a catastrophic age, is really an addi- tional evidence of the decay in which we stand." - Bib Liotheoa Sacra, in its July-September number for 1936, carries an article which has the title "A Sketch of Mohammedanism," from which we take over a few sentences: "To-day 250 million people claim Mohammed as their chief prophet. In the British EmpiTe there arc more than one hundred million Moslems. When King Edward VIII was crowned and proclaimed to be, among other titles, 'the Defender of the Faith,' one could well have asked, 'Defender of what faith l' for there are more Moslems under the British flag than Christians. There are about ten pUblications for propagating Mohammedanism printed in English. . .. In our own country there are about thirty thousand Mohammedans. They are living principally in Brooklyn, Detroit, Pitts- burgh, Sioux City, Iowa, Wheeling, W. Va., and Worcester, Mass. Of all non-Christians, Moslems are perhaps the most difficult to win to Chris- tianity. They cling tenaciously to their faith. In forty years of Dutch Reformed missions among Moslems, for instance, there were fewer than forty converts. In all Egypt to-day, where missionaries have toiled long and hard, there are only about llO living converts from Mohammedanism to Christianity." - There is an American Association of Theological Schools whose president is Dr. A. A. Brown, president of Drew University. Accord- 944 Theological Observer. - mrd.Jnd.J~8eitllefd.Jid.Jttid.Je~. ing to a statement. of Dr. Frederick C. Grant, president of Seabury-Weshmi Seminary, Evanston, who is the vice-president of the association, the or- ganization is striving to introduce higher standards in theological edu- cation. The association endeavors to do what the American Association of Universities has done for college education in the United States. "New and higher standards of admission have been set up and an accredited list of seminaries adopted." - In Chicago a decision was rendered lately by a judge of which all people who have an interest in the morals of our country will heartily approve. Somebody had taken moving pictures in a nudist camp and brought the films to the Eastman Kodak Company to have them developed. WlIen this had been done, the Eastman Company refused to return the films to the owner, pointing out that they were indecent. The judge agreed that the kodak firm was justified in its stand and that it was proper for it to destroy the films. - The so-called "untouchables" in India are asking themselves wllether they should become Christians or Moham- medans or emhraee Sikhism. The Sikhs represent a eommunity of about four hundred thousand living in the Punjab. Since the Sikhs are simply a Hindu sect, the union of the "untouchables" with them would not take the latter out of the fold of heathenism. We are told that Dr. Ambedkar, a leader of the depressed classes of India, advises these people to join the Sikhs. Since the "untouchables" number about sixty-five million, their accession to the Sikhs would mean an immense strengthening of this section of Hinduism. One's heart grieves at the thought that these people are advised to go from one darkness into another. - "The decree of the ad- ministrator of the former German New Guinea that native evangelists are not to be employed in carrying the Gospel to heathen tribes in the un- controlled inland is, so we are informed, upheld by the federal government. The deputation that recently waited on Senator Pearce, the minister for Mandated Territory at Canberra, received a courteous hearing, but has since been informed that the decree of thc administrator must stand .... ,,"'his means that native workers are not allowed to be placed ill the 'uncon- trolled areas of New Guinea.''' These words are quoted from the Aust?-alian Lutheran, which, on account of the work which 0111' Australian brethren are doing in New Guinea, is very much interested ill the situation there. The report concludes with the words: "This means that the sword must precede the Gospel. What a cry of protest this should raise in Christian lands!"- A Baptist church in Philadelphia, called Temple Church, formerly served by the well-known Russell H. Conwell, has done a strange thing-it has called as its pastor Dr. Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister, who was bap- tized in infancy and, at that, not immersed, but baptized by affusion. He accepted the call with the understanding that, while the church will not itself practise any other baptism than that by immersion, it is willing to receive as members people who have been baptized by sprinkling and in infancy. This is additional proof that Baptists are surrendering their old positions. - Preparations are now being made for the taking of the 1936 religious census. It will be remembered that the religious census is taken every ten years. It is thought that two years will be required to complete the task, one year for actual field work and one for the tabulation of the data that have been gathered. 250,000 questionnaires will be sent out.- A German mission-paper reports that the Minister of Education in ~anking, Theological Observer. - .Ritd)lid)'8eitgefd)id)t1id)e~. 945 China, has issued an order according to 'which religion is no longer to be kept out of Chinese schools. We have not heard as yet whether our own mission-schools in the places where they were closed have been affected by the position of the Nanking government. - The unification movement of the Methodists, which endeavors to unite Northern Methodists, Southern Methodists, and the Methodist Protestant Church, struck a snag when the Eastern Conference of the Methodist Protestant Church recently voted against the plan looking to the uniting of the three bodies. It seems that the members of the Methodist Protestant Church are more conservative than many of the people in the Methodist Episcopal churches. However, ten conferences of the Methodist Protestant Church have approved the plan. The total number of conferences that must vote in favor of the plan if it is to be ratified by the Methodist Protestant Church is sixteen. - The Episcopalian House of Bishops, which recently was in session, did not hesitate to reverse the action of one of its members, Bishop Wilson of Eau Claire, who had granted to a certain Dr. John William Torok the status of a bishop in the Episcopalian Church. It was pointed out by them that, while this man claimed to have the title of bishop, no individual bishop possessed the power to give him the status of bishop in the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. - Quite refreshing is an article in the Living Church of August 8 on the topic "The Atonement- a Dead Snbject 1" The writer quotes a certain dean who made this slighting remark: "I think we spend too much time on dead SUbjects .... I have heard of a seminary where a whole term '- or was it a whole year 7 - was given to a course on the Atonement." The writer very well says: "If we are to be taught in seminary that the atonement is a dead subject and not the living, flaming, eternal fact it was to St. Paul or the burning reality it was to St. Francis, then perhaps we had better shut the sem- inaries." - Baltimore was given a thirty-foot statue of Martin Luther, unveiled October 31 by the daughter of the German ambassador Dr. Hans Luther. The statue is placed in Druid Hill Park and cost fifty thousand dollars. The donor is the late Arthur Wallenhorst, who as a watchmaker, goldsmith, and dealer in precious stones had become quite wealthy. One part of the base has the words "Ein' feste Burg," another, "The gift of a jeweler of Baltimore." The inscription in front is simply "Martin Luther." Pastor Evers of Baltimore describes the statue thus: "Martin Luther is shown stepping forward firmly and quickly, holding in his left hand the Book of books, his right hand raised in greeting and blessing."- The editor of the Allgemeine Evangelisch-Lutherisohe Kirohenzeitung, Dr. Laible, recently celebrated his eightieth birthday. We see from the September 25 issue that Lutheran leaders sent him greetings aud expres- sions of gratitude for his work. A. U . .2(u£ihllt~+ S)ie e;,tellung bCl: lBcfcnnenben mt:dJc uet:ndcift. ~n bet: mefennenben SHrdje fjalien fidj 2u±fjerancr, llteformier±e unb Union§Ieute bereinigt. ~n bet ,,~IIgemeinen @':bJ2u±~. S1'irdjenaeitung" finbet lidj ein ~rtifer, ber fjieriUier ein fdjarfe~ m50rl fagt. m5ir ai±ieren einen 5l:'eH babon: ,/~)a§ ~afein unb, bie ~rlieit be§ lltaie§ ber @':bangeTifdj<2utfjerifdjen 60 946 Theological Observer. - .Rird)nd)~,{leitgefd)id)md)d. SNrclje ;tIeutfdjranM ftelIt an bie fSefennenbe SBirdje mit Wadjbrud bie fol~ genben tyragen: ,,1. Wuf @runb roeIdjen mefenntniffcs bift bu ,mefennenbe llirdje'~ ,,2. mend)t niclj± bie roaljre fircljHclje l(I;inljeit in ber (l;inljcit ber firdj~ Iidjen 2eljre ~ ,,3. ;sf± es nidjt eine bom fSefenninis gebotene unb im llirdjenfampf beroiiljne (l;rfenn±nis, DaB eine befenntnisgebunbene SBirdje eines liefenn±nis~ gebunbenen llirdjenregimen±0 bebarf~ ,,;tIenn auniidjft ftelj± feft: ,,1. ;tIie fSefennenbe SNrdje ljat fein mefenntnis, es mUBten benn bie iljeologifdjen (l;dliirungen bon marmen unb ;tIaljlem unb bie fdjon roiiljrenb- ber ®~nobe bon einel11 5l::eU ber ®l)nobalen aligeIeljnte (l;dfiirung bon mal> ,ol)nljaufen am bie nodj befdjeibenen Wnill~e cines neuen mefenn±niffes ge~ roenet ltlerben. )!Bas if± aber bann mit ben mefenntnifjen ber !Reformation, Die liefanntridj liefenn±nisgeliunbene llirdjen berpflidjten ~ )!Bie fteljt es mit ber inneren ~'011tinuitm ber mefenniniffe, rote mit iljrer iiliereinftil11mung mit ben 2eugniffen bon marmen, ;tIaljlem, ,oL)nljaufen? ,,2. ;tIie (l;inljeit ber mefennenben Stirdjc ift feine (l;inljeit in ber 2eljre. ®ie ift (l;inljei± ber SBampfgemeinfdjafi gegen einen genieinfal11en tyeinb, unb fie ift (l;inljeit in bcr Wbroeljr ciner liefHmmten ;srrleljre. )!Bierooljl bie Wbroeljr bon ;srdef)ren immer in l.jSoiition unb llCegation au gefdjeljen ljat, begriinbet fie nodj fcine bolfe llircljengemeinfdjafi; benn fie ift nur bon, roo Die gcfamte 2eljre einmiitig befannt roitb. Wudj altJifdjen benen a. m., Die eins finb in ber WDroeljr ber arianifdjen SBe~erei unb in bem fSefenniniS aur roaljren @otiljeit unb ~enfdjljeit ~ljrifti, liefteljt teine bolfe ober iilierljaupt feine SHrdjengel11einfdjafi. ,,3. ;tIie mefenncnbe SBirdje enibcljti 6is ljeuie eines liefcnninisgeliun~ benen SBirdjenregiments, ba fie es in einem lie±riidjtridjen 5l::eil iI)tcs @ebie±0 unterlaffen ljat, ±ro~ ber fie liinhenben ®~noballiefdjmffe bie £:irgane ber SBirdjenleitung ernftridj befenninismiiBig au gliebern. Ifs gelj± nidji an, biefe Wufgabe ljinausaufdjieben, bis eine fSefenninisunion ba ift." )!Bas ber ®djreilier ljier mit Sfirdjenregiment l11eint, ift nidjt redjt flar. )!Benn er bie '(I;inridjtung cines ~irdjenregiments im gerooljnridjen ®inne bes )!Bones am bon @ott geboten anfielj±, fo fonnen Inir nidjt mit iljm ftimmen. ®etn SBampf gegen ;tIulbung ber ;srrIeljre ift IoliensitJer±. 2L 5t~eolugie, ~onfcffion, ®Inulic. Cfinelt unter bies ;Q:'ljema gefterrten )Sonrag, geljaIten bon 2anbesbifdjof D. )!Burm~®±ltttgart aut ber ;tIeutfdjen IfbangeIifdjen )!Bodje in ®tuttgart, liie±et Die "W. (1;.2. St." iljren 2efern bar. ;tier )Sonrag aeigi iibergeugenb, roie feljt gegenroiirtig in ~eU±fdjranb bie ~efenntnisftage im 2entrum fteljt. (~an bergleidje bie bon ®djlatter, 2iit~ geri unb ®tra±ljmann berlirei±eie mrofdjiire ,,~iiffen roir qeute Iutljerifdj ober reformien fein ?") Ifr geigt alier audj, baB ±ro~ alfer guten (l;rfenninis in beaug aUf bas ?BcfenniniS uub Deffen ljolje meDeutung, man fidj briilien l1idjt haDu ern11ttigen fann, gegen ben ancrfann±en ;srnul11 ®telfung au neljmen, roas nidjt nut bet djriftridje @Iaulie fellift, fonbern audj fdjon Die aligel11e1l1 gefienbe IfljrIidjfeit etforben. ®o fann D' m. D. )!Burm aUBerft fdjon illier bie mebeu±ung bcs Iutljerifdjen mefenniniffe~ fdjreiben, et fann abet audj ebenfo fdjnelf Iniebcr einlenfen, roenn es an tie praftifdje Wus~ filljrung bes burdj bas fSefenntnis gegebenen I.jSflidjterforberniffe~ geljt. )!Bir Theological Observer. - Bitd)lid)".8eitllefd)td)tU~~. 947 Iaffen einigei5 aui5 bem !Borlrag, bem .2efer aur lISriifung botgelegt, foIgen. D. !!Surm fdjtewt: "~arum ~onfeffion? ~em nidjt im fitdjIidjen .2e&en 6teljenben, mit bet m:rl uub @efdjidjte feiner ~rdje nidjt !Berlrauten, er'" fdjeint bie ~onfeffion roie ein ftbetblewfel aui5 liingft betgangenet Beit, ttJlie iene 201Ifdjtanfen, bie fo lange bie beutfdjen .2iinbet genennt ljatten .... @ilje man futaroeg urleiIt: ,~ai5 unfere !Botfal)ren bot bietljunberl ~aljten beroegte, gelj± uni5 nidjti5 meljr an' obet: ,~ie m:nttDorlen, bie man bamali5 aUf bie ffragen nadj @ott unb bem SJeiI gab, fi.innen nidjt mel)t unfere m:nt'" roorlen fein', mun man bodj ptiifen, ob bie fftagen unb oli bie m:niroorlen fo iiberljoIt finb, roie man ei5 ficlj unb anbem einauteben betfudjt. ~ariiber ljettfd}t rooljI @iinigfeit, ban bet m:ui5gangi5punfi fUr .2 u t lj e r i5 ~ampf um bai5 @iuangelium unb um bie ~tdje nidjt bie ~onfeffion im ljeutigen 6inn roar. @ir fii:m.pfte nidjt um eine n e u e, fonbem um eine ern e u e rt e ~tdje. @it proteftierle mit ben 6einigen nidjt 9 e 9 en, fonbem f ft r bie ~tdje. @ir roolIte nidjt fpaIten, fonbem bie lrl)riftenl)eit im roal)ten @Iauben bereinigen. . .. ~arum abet, roenn ei5 um ben @Iauben ging, enbete bie ganae lBeroegung in einer Sfonfeffion, in ber ~grenaung einet lBefenntnii5", gemeinfdjaf±? ~ai5 ift nut betftiinbIidj, roenn man bie ganae 5tiefe bei5 @egenf~ei5 lenni, in bem fidj 2lltl)er aur ri.imifdjen ~rclje infoIge feinet an ber 6djrift gefc9fu:ften @iinfidjt befanb. @ii5 ging il)m ... im @tunb nur urn bai5 e i n e, roai5 er an bet ~irdje, il)ten .2el)ren unb iljrem @ottei5bienft aui5aufeten l)atte: ban fie nidjt ttJirfiidj @ott bie @il)te gab, ban fie menfdjen", gebote uub @ottei5ge1iote nidjt beutIidj untetfdjieb, ban fie menfdjIidje !Bet'" bienfte einfdjob, roo ei5 rein um @ottei5 @nabe ging, ban il)r il)re mad}t roidjtiger roar aIi5 bie rdne SJeiIi5berrnnbigung unb ban fie bei5l)aIb am fueua, bai5 fie auf allen ~egen aufridjtete, tatfiidjHdj botiiberging. . . . Thtt roenn man fidj bai5 gana fiat: madjt, ban ei5 in bet !Reformation nidjt um biefe obet jene meinungi5betfdjiebenljeit ging, roie fie audj im mittel", aIter immer roieber attJifdjen ben betfdjiebenen mi.indji5orben unb il)ten tljeo'" Iogifdjen 6djuIen aul5gefodjten rourben, fonbem um bie gana gtunblegenbe, SJera unb @ettJiffen auftDiil)lenbe ffrage ,~ie fann idj bor @ott beftel)en, roie feinei5 SJeiIi5 teiIl)aftig roetben? .2eljrl uni5 bie ~rdje ben ttJitfIidjen @ott uub bai5 ttJitfIidje SJeil, obet l)at fie menfdjengebanfen an bie 6telle bon @otteg ~orl gefett?' betfteljt man bie ungel)eure ~udjt biefei5 m:ngriffi5, lJetfte:qt man auclj, ban et im Unietfdjieb bon allen ftiil)mn nppofitioni5'" lieroegungen in ber ~rdje fir dj en liiIbenb, nidjt IiIon 9 r u P pen liiThenb geroidt :qat. @ii5 gaIt, bon bet grunbfiitIidjen @idenninii5 ljeraUi5, ban bie liii5ljerige ~tdje wer @ott unb bai5 SJeiI falfdj gelel)rl l)atte, bie iEerfiin", hlgung in lIStebigt, Untetridjt uub 6eeIforge fdjriftgemiin um'3ugeftaIten .... ~iefe lIStofefforen fam! ben ffiirften unb !Rati5l)erren, bie au il)nen ftanben, roaren Sfonfeffoten im umfaffeuben 6inn bei5 ~orlei5; fie befannien nidjt lilon dne ftlieraeugung, fonbem fie liefannten bie il)nen aufgenagene ~al),r'" :qeit unb ben @ott bet ~aljrl)eit." Wui5 biefem milieu ift, roie D. ~urm aui5fUl)rl, bai5 lutl)erifdje lBefennt", nw gegen ben lRomanwmui5 ljetborgegangen. .2eiber ift man fpiiter bei5 ~ampfei5 miibe gerootben. D. ~urm fdjrewt: "man barf rool)l fagen, ban unter bem @iinbrucf ber furdjtliaten npfer, bie bie fonfeffionellen ~iimpfe gefofte± l)atten, ber Sfampf um bie ~al)rl)eit in bem lji.idjften Elinn, roie il)n bai5 meue 5teftament unb bie !Refotmation meint, erlal)m±e. ~ie am @inbe 948 Theological Observer. - .!l'itd)!idH3eitgefd)id)tlid)es. be§ m!e!tfrieg§ jener ij3aaifi;3mu§ auffam, bet aUe;3 bon bet ®nabe unb bem gl1ien lffiilIen bet @5ieget erltJarle±e, bet feinen GSinfat meljr ltJagic, roeH Die @5inn!ofigfeit cine£'! Sl:am.pfe;3 um GSljte unb medjt cine£'! j8offe£'! erroief en f djien, f 0 gib± e£'! audj einen g e i ft i g e n ij3aaifiillUtll§, dnen grunbfii~Hdjen j8etaidjt auf ben Sl:am.pf um Me lffialjrljeit, ber mit bem lillorl ,~orerant feine IDWbigfeit unb feine Wngft bemiintelt. . .. Un±er bem ,Beidjen biefe§ ij3aaifi§~ Utll§ ftanben bie WU£'!einanbe:r;:fetungen bet ebangeIifdjen ~fjeologie im eige~ nen 2ager unb im j8erljiirtni;3 au ben geiftigen j80tgiingen in ,Beit unb lillelt lii§ bot furaer ,Bcit." ~iefer Sl:am.pf ift nadj D.llliurm ltJieber aufBuncljmen gegen hie refortnierle Sl:irclje. ~r fcljreibt: "lffienn auclj ber 2eljrunte:r;:fdjieb altJifdjen Iu±ljerifcljer unb reformier±er Sl:irdje feljr bid fIeiner ift aIl3 ber altJifcljim ber riimifcljen unb ber ebangeHfdjen Sl:irdje, fo ift boclj audj ljicr bie lffialjr!jei±§frage aufgeltJotfen, unb e§ gelj± nidji an, fie au ignorieren." 2ei~ Der aIier gilit llliurm !jier reiucn roei±eren fIaren ij3ofaunettion, fonbern Beig± eljer, ltJie etltJa 'bei aUer ~iffonana ber 2eljre a11Jifdjen 2utljerifdjen unb lRefor~ mierten cine gegenfeitige 2fdj±ung 3ltJifdjen lieiben beltJa!jrl roerben fii1111e. Unb barin Iiegt lffiurm;3 @5cljltJiiclje. ~r f elbft f djrdbt: ,,2II§ mir ij3rof. @5ira±!jmann bie mrofcljiire fcljicfte ,miiffen ltJir ljeu±e Iu±!jerifdj oeber refor~ mierl fcin?' fcljrieb iclj iljm .pof±ltJenbenb aurlicf: ,Wein, ltJir miiffen e§ nicljt fein, aber ltJir biirfen e§ ben en, bie e§ nadj i!jter firdjIidjen unb .perlonIidjen 1Jii!jrung fein miifien, nicljt berroe!jren, e§ an fein, unD roir biirfen i!jnen barau§ fetnen j80rltJurf madjen, alill fterrten fie bie ~onfeffion wer bie @5djrift. ", ~a13 eine f oldje @5±eUung bon ~a unb Wein, Sl:am.pf unb Widj±~ fampf nur llliirrroarr berutfadjen mun, aeigt bie ®efdjidjte. ~ie bcu±fdjen :it!jeologen .pofitibcr lRicljtung befinben fidj aUcrhing§ in eiuer merftniirbigen @5teUung: fie ltJoUen ba§ melenn±nis unb llJoUen e§ audj nidjt, Sl:am.pf nub auclj 1Jrieben. @50 fe!jr !jat fidj Der ~eb§fdjabe be§ Unioni§mu§ liet i!jnen feftgefreff en. 2Uier audj noclj etltJa§ anbere§. lillie man in ber 1Jrage aum lSefenntni£'I !jin uub ljer fcljbJanfi, fo auclj in ber {Yrage Bur @5djrift. llliir fcljIie13en, inDem roir ba;3 foIgenbe iljeologifdje Sl:uriofum an§ D. lffiunn§ {Yeber unfern 2efern unterlireiten: ,,~ine mit ben IDeitteln ber 20gif geltJonnene @5idjerung toot a. m. bie aItorl!jobo!;e j8erliannf\Jiration§~ Ie!jre. ®erabe an i!jrer ber!jiingni§boUen lffiirmng, an bem ,Berftorung§~ .proae13, ber mit burclj fie eingeIeitet tvurbe, fieljt man, ltJie ltJenig fidj bie Sl:irdje auf menfdjridje @5idjerungen, feten fie Dogmatifcljer, feien fie redjt~ licljer Ilrrl, berIaffen fann." lillir fragen un§: lffiarum bicier Sjie6 aUf bie j8erbaIinf.piration in einem WrlifeI, roD e§ bodj baranf anfommt, ban ber lRef.pefi bor her @5djrif±l]jaljr!jeit geljolien roerDen foU? Unb llJeIdje "ber~ !jiingni§boUe lffiidung", llJeIcljer ",BcLitiirung§l.1tOae13" ift roolj! in ber ®e~ fdjidj±e Der Sl:irc!je burdj hie @5djriftleljre bon ber ~erbafinf.piration je ein~ geIei±e± ltJorben? Sjier triiumt hodj roo!jI D. lllintm, unb altJa! fin)) es 1Jleifdje£l±tiiume, bie er !jat. ~. ~. IDe. llliafJ{ heB crj'tcn heutfdjcn meffJobiftifdjen 18ifdjofl3. mi§!jer ftan)) Die mifdjofIidje met!jobif±enfirdje in ~eutfdjlanb unter mifdjof D. Wurfen, ber au @lenf in ber @5djllJeia feinen mifcljof;3f~ !jat. WUll aber !jat fidj bie Wrbeit ber me±!jobiften in ~eutfdjranb fo erltJciterl, ban im @5e.ptember bieic§ ~aljre£l ~eu±fdjranb in ber ~erfon Dr.1J. Sj. meUe;3 bon {yranffurl am main feinen eigeuen 58ii djnf er!jaI±en ljat. ~ie mitteilung finbe± fidj in ber "W. GS. 2. Sl:. " (~aqrg. 69, Wr. 40), Me bariiber beridjtet: ,,~ie ,BeniraIfonferena bel: Theological Observer. - Rird)ltd)";3eitgefd)id)tHci)e§. 949 lBifdjiiflidjen IDIetljohlftenfirdje, b1e bom 16. bii3allm 20. ®eptember in tyranf~ fur! am IDIain ±agte unb mls firdjenorbnungsmiif3ig beftelIten mertreiem arrer beutfdjen ®emeinbeberliiinbe aufammengefe~t mar, ljat Dr. ty. &;? otto IDIeHe (geboren 1875 in 'itljiitingen), ben bi§ljetigen ~iteftot be§ I{5rehlger~ feminari3 ber IDIe±ljobtftenfirdje in tytanffut± am IDIain, aum ?8ifdjof bemfen. ~ie 58erljanbfungen tuurben bon lBifdjof D. ~iiffen geIeitet, bet in merbinbung mit lBifdjof ~aDe, ®±ocfljolm, Wft.l{5tiifiben± D . .2of±ljoufe bon ber IDIetgo~ biftenfirdje in (fnglanb unb einigen beutfdjen ~iftriftsfuperintenbenten bie ~cilje unb Wmti:leinfiiljrung bes neuen ?8ifdjofi3 boHaog. ~ie ®emeinben ber IDIetljobtftenfirdje in ~eutfdjranb finb bamit bon bem IDIittefeuropiiifdjen @?ptenge[ abge±rennt unb in cinen beutfdjen @?prengef aUfammengefaf3t \oorben, beffen .2eiiung unD ?8eauffidjtigung nun in ben &;?iinben ?8ifdjof Dr. IDIeffei3 mit bem ~oljnfi~ in lBerlin neg±. ;;'Sljm ift ein Sfirdjenl10rftanb aur ®eite gef±errt morben. ~ie neue ffi:egeIung ift mit ,8uftimmung bei3 ffi:eidji3firdjenminif±eriumS erfoIgt. ~em ~erl ber IDCe±ljobiftenfitdje in ,ofterreidj, Ungarn, lBuIgarien, ;;'Sugof{atuien, Z5tanen unb ber ®djtueia ftegt l8ifdjof D. ~iiffen, ber llugleidj ba§ ®eniorat im lBifdjofi3foUegium bet ?8ifdjiifIidjen IDIe±ljobiftcnfitdje inneljat, mit bem @?it in ®enf, 1 Rue des Photognphes, audj meiterljin oor. Wn hle @?±eHe bei3 aui3 feinem ~rmt ag SDtrel'tor bei3 I{5rehlgerfeminar§ ber IDIetgobif±enfirdje in tyranffurt am IDIain fdje.ibenben Dr. ty. &;? Otto .\lReUe ift ber vi§!jerige ~oaent am I{5rebiger~ feminar, @?upe.rin±enbent Dr. Z5. ~. (frnft ®ommer, M. A., af§ ~iteftor be. rufen morben. U ~adjbem bet IDIe±ljobii3mui3 in ~eu±fdjlanb ftiiger feiten§ ber ffi:egierung mandje OppofiHon gat erfaljren miiffen, ift et nun bom ffi:eidji3fitdjen. minij±erium am gana unb gar ebangenfdj unb fomit audj am firdjene6if±ena~ vetecf)tigt anerlann± morben. ~er reformierte (finfdjlag luie audj ber llnioni£lmus biefer Sttrdjcngcmeinfcfyaft gat i!jr baliei gute ~ienf±e geleiftet. Z5. :it. IDI. ,,!Briiber", alier bud; feint Union! WUf ber ®enfer (2:albinfeier legnte ber ba~rifdjc ?8ifdjof D. IDIeifer cine iiuf3edidje Union mit ben ffi:eformierten ab, begriif3±e fie aver bennodj ar~ lBriiber. (;fine fe!jr feine Sl!ritif foldjer ®±elIun(l, tuie fie IDIeifer eingcnommen !jut, (liM ffi:eftor D. ~im:omm in ber "tyreifirdje", unD feinem UricH muj3 jeber befenn±ni§±reue .2ut!jeranet gana unD gar veiftimmen. ~ir lcfcn: ,,?8ei cinet (2:aluinfeier in @enf !jat 52anDe£lliifdjof IDIeifer bon ?8a~ern eine ffi:ebe (le~a:Iten, bie groj3efl WUff e!jen erreg± !jat unb auf bie audj m·ir, miU'i3 ®o±t, nodj auriicffommen tDerDen. IDIangeI an ,8eit unb ffi:aum niitigen uns, !jeu±e nur gana rora fofgenDei3 au fagen: 52anbesoifcljof IDIeifet Iegut eine Union mit Der reformierten SHrdje abo 5rrotbem nennt er - unb er rebet im ~amen lInb aI§ merhe±er ,ber rllt~erif djen Sfitclje ~eu±f dj~ ranDS' - hie ffi:eformier±en ,?8riiber' unb fagt, Die .2u±!jeraner in SDeu±fdjranb !jiitten getuuj3f, mM fie tat en, ,menn fie in ben ~inter un§ IiegenDen 0a!jren be£l Stampfei3 unh ber ~ot f 0 oft mit ben reformierien lBriibern ben lBrulJer. namen getaufclj±' !jii±tenl ~amit !javen biefe .2uf!jerancr gerabe baa ®e(len. teil bon bem getan, roai3 .2ufger in IDcaroutg, aUf ben fie fidj Dodj berufen unb ben fie megen feinei3 mer!jaIten§ bort Ioben, getan gat. .2ut!jer gat Damafi3, am 12.0Hober 1529, an ;;'So!j. Wgticola in @?aalfeID gefdjrieben: ,@)djIic13Hdj oafen fie, baf3 mir fie menigfteni3 a r i3 l8 r ii bet an e r fen n e n 950 Theological Observer. - Rtrd)l1d).geitgefd)td)tttd)e!l. fomen, unb ber ~iirft [lJ3~ml'l' bon &.;Jeffen] brang fc~r barauf; eWer es lonnte i~nen n i clj ± augeftanben roerben.' 11nb bor f ciner !ffiinenoerger ®emeinbe bericljtete er auf ber stanael u. a.: ,. . . SDenn lnir ~aoen ®o±te!3 !ffiorl unb ben 5te);t filr uns, ben fie nicljt ~a'&en. SDarum fte~t bie @5aclje in ciner gut en &.;Joffnung. ZSclj fage n i clj t, baf3 cine 0 r ii b err i clj e @:inigfeit fei, fonbern eine giltige, freunbIiclje @:in±racljt, b a 13 fie f r e u n b~ riclj bei uns fUcljen, hJas i~nen fc~rt, unb luir hJieber i ~ n en b i en en. !ffio i~r nun lnerbe± fIei13ig bitten, roirb fie auclj b r il ~ berIiclj*) roerben.' (!ffialclj2 3,321.) 11nb .2ut~er rounie roo~r, roa~ er tat unb fagte. ZSJjm hJar gerabe in lmaroutg gan3 beutricfy gehJorben, baB bie meformierten n i clj t bie &.;JeiIige @5cljrift a r I e in ag ®rauoen~norm anna~men, fonbern in ®lau&ensfacljen bie ~ernunft breinreben HeBen. Unb fo ift'~ boclj ~eute noclj. ~g ift nicljt roa~t, baB bie reformierte Sfirclje eoenfo roie bie rut~erifclje ,cine Sfirclje be.s !ffiotg' roare, hJie iet?t bon fil~renven .2ut~eranern in SDeutfcljlanb immer tlJieber i,iffentHclj be~aul'tet hJitb. SDiefe lBeurleiIung ber reformier±en ~irclje ~at aber i~ren ®runb barin, baf3 biefe ,.2ut~eraner' feillft nicljt me~r lme .2ut~er aUf bem unfe~l&aren !ffiorl ber @5cljrift fte~en. !ffia:re bie reformierle ~irclje lnirfficlj cine ,Shrclje bes !ffioti!3', bann roaie auclj fein ®runb bor~anben, bie 11nion mit i~r aoau1e~nen unb ben meformierten bie ~ruber~anb au berhJeigern. (§s ift eWer 1eiber fo, baB nicljt, roil' .2ut~et e~ bamaI0 ~offte, bie mefotmierlen bon ben 2ut~etanern ge~ lernt ~eWen, fonbern bierme~r umgefe~rt: bet teformier±e ®eif± ift in bil' ht±~etifclje @:~riften~eit SDeutfcljranb~ cingebrungen unb ~at iI)rc @5teUung Bur @5cljtift unb au ben aus bet 6cljrift gefcljol'ften lBefenntniffen etroeicljt unb fo bem ®eifte ber 11nion 5tor unb 5tilt geoffnet. SDas ,2ut~erhtm' SDeutfclj~ IanM ift in feinen fil~renben .lmiinnern bon bem ®tunbfatl ber meformation .2ut~ct~ ,SDie @5cljrift a I lei n' - abgefaUen. ~ei foIcljer 6±eflung ift bet ~ampf gegen bie Union bon born~erein betloren, ia ift euer 6piegeIfecljtetei. 11nb ei3 rounbed uns, baf3 ferbf! bas lBte~Ia1ter ,SfircljeniJ1att' bas nicljt fie~t unb bon ber mebe lmeifet~ in ®enf urteiIen fann, fie fei ,eoenfo oefenntnHl~ ±teu ag friebIieoenl), geroefenJ ~uclj roit roilnfcljen bon &.;Jetaen mit .2utljer, bat es aum ~tiencn mit ben meformierlen fommen moge; aoet er fann nut lommen, roenn bie mefotmieden i~ten ZSnium etfennen unb bie Hate 6cljriftroa~tIjcit anneIjmen. SDie !ffia~t~eit, baB es auclj in bet teformierten ~itclje roa~re @:~riften giOt, bie um Den ZStrlum nicljt tlJiifen, Ieugnen audj roit nicljt. smJer e~ bient aur ?Setroitrung bet ®etlJiffen, hJenn man niefe !ffialjt~eit in biefcm 2ufammen~ang borbringt. .lmit bemfeThen mecljt fonnte man bann auclj bon net romifclj~fat~onfcljen SHtclje aH; dner ,6cljhJeftemtclje' reben unb i~t bie )8ruber~anb t eiclj en ; benn aud) borl finb @:~riften. - gJei ben ftrengen mefotmierlen ~at il&tigens .lmdfet roenig ®egenIieoe gefunben. 6ie befcljurhlgen i~n troi2 bet bargebotenen ,lBruber~anb' bes ,rut~etifdjen SPonfeffionaU~mUi3' unb fragen, roai3 biefer eigentIiclj hJolle. @io geljt's ben ,lBtiicfenbauern' aUf ntcljUcljem ®eOie±J" ZS. 5t.~. *) ~)lettfat bon mir. - WI.~.